Ni-gun game against Orix on March 25: Shota Takeda started the game and gave up a run on four hits over six innings of work. He faced twenty-four hitters, threw 101 pitches, walked three, struck out five, and topped out at 145km/h. The one run he allowed was a home run to Takuya Shimada in the 5th inning. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/26/2015

Daisuke Matsuzaka might not make it to the active roster until some time after early-April. Source: Sports Hochi 3/26/2015 ... The Hawks have not set a timetable on Matsuzaka. For now, he will spend some time rehabbing. After that, he could head to Ni-gun, or make a stop at San-gun. Either way, the Hawks do not want to rush him to the active roster. Source: ZakZak 3/26/2015

The Hawks announced that Itaru Kobayashi will join the front office as an adviser, effective April 1. Source: official announcement

A woman filed a lawsuit against the Nippon Ham Fighters after she was hit by a foul ball during a game at Sapporo Dome on August 21, 2010 and, as a result, lost sight in her right eye. She was seeking a total of about 46.5 million yen on grounds of insufficient safeguards. The Sapporo district court ruled in favor of the woman on March 26 and ordered the Nippon Ham Fighters to pay her about 41.9 million yen in damages. The organization is considering an appeal. Source: Nikkan Sports 3/27/2015

Chiba Lotte Marines

Tatsuhiro Tamura is expected to get the start at catcher on opening day. If he does, at twenty years and ten months, he will become the second youngest catcher in franchise history to get the opening day start. The youngest, at nineteen years and four months, was Takeo Daigo in 1958. Source: Sponichi 3/26/2015